Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy.

The Ultimate Driving "School"

BMW CCA will have seats available for the annual driving school at the famous der Nurburgring Nordschleife for members beginning 21 March. The scheduled events for North Americans are 3-11 August.
The following video of Hans Stuck in a race winning M 3 GTR V8 requires free registration, but is an amazing look at the combined Formula One and Nordschleife race tracks in the beautiful Eifel Mountains just N of the Moseltal (Cochem).http://www.fastdrive.org/download.php?view.447
M

My husband will be in Dusseldorf next week and is hoping for good weather so the track will be open at Neurburgring. You can have a professional racer take you around the track in an M5. I'm so jealous!

My sons and I have logged many, many hours on tracks in Europe and the US, but the Nordschleife (@ der Nurburgring) remains our fav.
Here's another video with heads up displays including position on the track:http://www.clemson.edu/~jpundt/sauber_sig.wmv
M

Do you want tickets to watch an event or to race the track? You can just pick them up at the track - I'm not sure you need them in advance. I went Easter weekend (a very busy weekend), and you could just buy them at the track. You could also call the Ticket Hotline on the website, and I guarantee you someone will speak English.

You have to figure out, however, IF the Ring is open to public use that day and what the hours are. Check the "Events" section of the website for September and look for "Touristenfarhten." But you can buy a ticket from a stand at the entrance or even an automated machine. http://www.nuerburgring.de/events.10.0.html

Please note that most (all?) European rental car companies forbid you from taking their cars on the Ring. They even have people take photos of license plates in the parking lots to make sure. That is a huge no-no. And judging how many people crash, scrape, blow engines, etc., you know why.

You can rent a racecar to take around -- complete with helmet and rollbars, but you should have an appointment in advance. Check Ben Lovejoy's Ring page for selected companies.

If you're doing European Delivery, it will be hit-or-miss as to whether the Ring workers are enforcing the prohibition on red tagged-temp plates from using the Ring. In April 2007, we got all the way to the starting gate in my new 335Ci, when a gate crewman rushed across the barricade and prevented our entry.

I really recommend booking the Ring Taxi from BMW -- a professional driver takes you around the Ring in an M5. About the most fun you'll ever have in 8 minutes. You should book it ASAP if you are interested. The tickets sell out quickly and only limited walk-up tickets are available (if any). http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/taxi.html

Also, if you're going to drive it, study the track over and over again by playing one of the many video games that feature it. It won't do justice to it, but you'll learn the turns in order. Gran Turismo 4 for PS2 has it.

You lucky dogs. Had a Beamer years ago - and loved driving it - and can only dream about taking a fast lap or two around the fabled Nurburgring. Have viwed a lot of tapes of others roaring over/around the track - including a promo for Vettes - who really had a smoking good time over there.

The best handling car I have ever been in - up to that time - was my LA buddy's Pantera - but he later bought a Viper and that thing was a rocket. He raced Motorcross and also around the various tracks in LA - including taking Mini-Coopers around Fontana.